CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

4 HOURS EARLIER

Sonic fell from the portal on the sidewalk. He looks around the city, seeing no battleship, some people in the city doing their jobs and some shopping. That means it worked, he was four hours earlier in the past.

Sonic ran to the beach. He ran the path where he and Tails went to save Elise, before Eggman took them to another location. Sonic ran and ran till he spotted Eggman's new base.

Eggman wasn't really good at hiding places. Usually Sonic would just wait until Eggman gets started, but he needed to be on the battleship, before Eggman's starts his threat on the city.

Sonic ran in the dirt, bringing dust around him. He ran to the sides of walls, going fast enough to push himself in Eggman's base. "This should be easy." Sonic told himself. He ran, until he could see the ledge and jumped. He jumped high enough, and was able to reach the base. He fell on his feet giving his knees a shake and ran inside the base.

Sonic runs into some tight spaces with Eggman's robots guarding the place head to toe and with so many ruins, cells, and labs. He finally found the battleship. It was just sitting there waiting for Eggman to go on that ship, and threaten Elise.

Sonic didn't even think twice, he just walked up to the side on the battleship and just looked for an entrance. He didn't find one on the left side so he walked up to the right side and didn't find one. "Where would Eggman put an entrance?" Sonic questioned himself. Then an answer came, "Gee... Can you pick a better place, Egg-head?" he smirked.

He jumped on the battleship, perfect landing and ran to the middle of the battleship. He found the entrance, and opened it and found a ladder that leads down. He stepped inside and brought his hand to the entrance and closed the door.

He went down into the battleship. All of a sudden he felt the ship rising up.

It's showtime.

4 O'CLOCK

Eggman was yelling at the computer. "...Why is this happening?" he fist his hands and punched the computer, he didn't want to die now, when he was so close. He put his hands on his head and was shaking.

"Playtimes over!" Sonic yelled.

Elise turns to the voice. "Sonic!" she runs behind him.

Eggman turned around surprise and shocked that Sonic is up here. "How did you get here?" Sonic gave a small shrug and smiled to him, showing out his white teeth. "You should really hide the entrance better, Egg-head." Eggman grumbled, he hates that nickname.

Sonic looks around the. ship, knowing what will happen next. "This ship is about to crash. To bad, Eggman!"

Eggman stomps his foot, he knew something will happen, with Elise his weakness then that means Sonic will be defeated once and for all. "I'm not finished, yet!" Eggman protested. He pressed a yellow button, which brought more of his robots.

Sonic still had his arms out. He turned around and looked at Elise. He still couldn't believe that her outfit looks exactly like him. "Go... Try to get out of here, while I distract them!" Sonic urged her to go, he doesn't want her to die again.

Elise shakes her head. "Not without you!" she wailed out to Sonic. She is not going without him, she doesn't want him to die on the ship with Eggman. She hears an explosion near the side of the battleship and panics.

Sonic and Eggman, at the same time turn to the explosion. Eggman walks up to the window and saw the left engine on fire, ready to explode. He takes step back, his back hits the wall and pressed a button next to him then the wall turns, then he's gone.

Sonic turns runs to Elise, picks her up and starts to get out of battleship. More explosions were heard behind them and in front of them, Sonic doesn't stop, until they can find a way out of here. Another explosion was heard, the back of the ship started breaking apart.

Sonic stopped running when he saw clear blue sky. And looks around for any of the pieces of the ship, but he was to late, it was to far for him to reach.

Elise grabbed hold of Sonic's neck, when Sonic suddenly stopped and she looked around, seeing the blue sky, but she knew Sonic needed to jump to reach land, where they can see not far ahead. She looked to her side and smiled. "Sonic!" She pointed to the side of the engine that was falling close to them.

Sonic turned to her and smiled. "Aren't you worry?" Elise looked at him giving him the, 'are-you-serious' face and smiled.

"'If you have time to worry, then run,' right?" she quoted, from Sonic words.

Sonic looked at the engine while it exploded into little pieces. He held Elise tighter in his arms, making sure that she wasn't going to slip out of his arms, started running then jumped.

Sonic fell onto one of the pieces and the piece moved forward a little trying to get closer to land. Sonic and Elise were spinning a little, then Sonic made his next jump to the next piece. At some jumps he had to jump fast, before the pieces fell toward the water. Elise looks behind Sonic, tightened her hold on Sonic's neck.

Sonic had only two more jumps, until they reach land. He took the first jump running to the edge of the piece and jumped. He took another jump and took his one of his arms from Elise and the other one holding her to reach land but missed.

Elise looked as Sonic was reaching his arm out for land but missed. She buried her face in Sonic's neck, holding on tight to him, and closing her eyes. Sonic couldn't believe he missed, but when he knew it, one of the engines from the battleship was behind him and exploded and pushing force to him. Sonic let out a gasp and wide eyes when he felt the heat and the force.

Once they reached land, Elise came out of Sonic's hold and they both rolled on land. Once they stopped rolling, Sonic came in panic and looked at Elise to make sure she was okay.

Elise had her eyes closed, she moved her body, to lay on her back and have her arms out. The wind blew making her bangs move to her face with her dress swaying around her.

Sonic walked up to her, and looked down at her. He saw a peak of blue looking at him. He smiled down at her when he saw her grayish blue eyes open.

Sonic shakes his head, brings his head to look at the blue sky. He brings his head down, to meet Elise face smiling, then unexpected they started laughing.

Sonic looks at her, after their little laugh, smiling down at her, and giving her a thumbs up. "Nice smile." Elise goes back to laying down on the grass to watch the clouds. She felt some soft fur on her side and found Sonic laying next to her.

"So, what's up with the blue dress?" Sonic asked curiously. Elise looked at him, and back at the clouds. "When I was young, I asked one of my maids to go to the Dress Shop to make a duplicate of the dress but the color blue. She didn't agree at first, but I told her not to tell my father than she agreed by that. About three or four days the dress came in, I was really excited. But I saved the dress, never really letting it go. So, I hide it until there was a right time. And I guess this time is, right."

Elise looks back to Sonic, and met his face close to hers. Then he presses forward and kisses her slow and deep. They both moan like eager teenagers, until they noticed Sonic was laying on top of her. Elise moves her hands to the back of Sonic's neck, playing with his hair, while Sonic has his one hand on her waist to keep her down and the other on her neck.

They stayed there awhile now. Sonic was the first to break the kiss and did they need it.

Elise is panting trying to get her breath back. Sonic rolled his eyes to the back of his head and fell down on the grass next to Elise, smiling with happiness. Elsie looked at Sonic with his eyes closed, she smiled also and she putted her head on Sonic's chest.

Sonic looked down at Elise, he rubbed his hand on her red hair. While Elise is tracing her fingers on Sonic's peach color chest.

The blue hedgehog smiled. "You know something?" Elise rested her head on Sonic's shoulder, "Hm?" she hummed, slightly vibrating his shoulder. She used her right arm to cover his torso like a blanket.

Sonic lightly kissed Elise's red hair, "You're really special to me." at that Elise looked up at Sonic with shocked wide eyes and was staring at Sonic as he kept going. "Elise, I don't know how or when but I love you. I loved you since I first met you, when you kept getting captured from Eggman all I kept thinking was 'If he hurts you, I'll kill him' but I'm not the bad guy here. I'm the hero."

Elise looks up to him and cups his face, with both of her hands, trying to make him look at her. Sonic was confused at first, but he looked at her. "You're my hero."

Elise smirked at him and she leaned over kissing his lips gently before pulling back, "And I love you, too. Ever since I meant you, you were always there for me captured or not. That makes me feel normal. And I can be normal with you, and not be the Princess I am." Elise explained, and went back laying on Sonic's shoulder feeling the soft fur on her cheek.

Sonic stared at Elise and went back looking at the sky. "You know Elise... I'm the luckiest hedgehog to have a beautiful redhead, with grayish blue eyes, that looks exactly like me-" Sonic stopped talking and rubbed his shoulder where Elise punched it. "And I couldn't ask for a better girlfriend."

Now Elise regrets punching him but what he said made the her really smile. She laughs, "Thanks, and I couldn't ask for a better hero, aka boyfriend." Elsie replied.

Sonic and Elise stayed there cuddling in each other's arms not wanting to get out each other's embrace. As they both stare at the clouds they both think of their futures together.